The Barman's Diaries #3

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
Wednesday 4:30pm
I can now state beyond any reasonable doubt that society is approaching some form of collapse, why? Because I’ve just been informed that we’re going to start buying our toilet roll on TikTok. I kid you not, apparently that’s a real thing. I’ll just leave that there because a statement like that is sort of beyond analysis.
6pm
Right, other than the sixth great extinction being upon us, there’s a decent crowd in here at the minu

The Barman's Diaries #2

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
Saturday 6pm
For anyone wondering if I’m making full use of this return to studenthood, I’ve seen all 10 films up for best picture at the Oscars next week. I’m starting here because a group of women came in after their book club on Friday evening, discussing the things they’d do to Jacob Elordi (and sure, who could blame them?). I asked one of the women what they’d been reading and what did she say? You wouldn’t know it… Suffice to say her drink

The Barman’s Diaries #1

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
It's 20:03 and ‘Red Wine’ by UB40 is playing. It’s raining backwards outside; the only drink I’ve served in the past 30 minutes was for myself. I currently have a whopping three customers, the two in the corner are playing battleships and sipping negronis, the other is making steady progress through our stock of Pinot Grigio. I was thinking about David Attenborough earlier while cleaning the fridges and, hold on, my favourite customer has just

Unfinished Business: Following Edinburgh students’ anti-apartheid tradition toward divestment

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
Written by Gina Paxton Goodfellow in conversation with the Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society
Writing as a group of students from the Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJPS) occupy the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, it is clearer than ever that the battle for the University of Edinburgh to divest from companies entangled with Israel is one that shall be fought to its end. Since the violent acceleration of the g

Timothée Chalamet vs the ballet and opera community: Is classical theatre dead?

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
Timothée Chalamet has come under intense fire recently for his less-than-positive comments about the ballet and opera community. “I don't want to be working in ballet or opera or, you know, things where it's like: "Hey, keep this thing alive," even though no one cares about this anymore,” Chalamet told Mathew McConaughey for Variety’s Actors on Actors. Understandably, ballet dancers and opera singers are not too happy. Chalamet’s comment embodi

The Bee Cemetery

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
The Cemetery was situated at the bottom of a pillar of rock at the edge of the woods, past the long grass, past the ticks, and past the rabbits in their cages in the lane. The Bees were abundant in the spring, and by the age of ten, I had been stung three times– once on the chin, once on the thigh and once on the grass whilst playing barefoot. My sister remained untouched. She liked to consider herself in alliance with the Bees– her, a small th

In Defence of the Physical Book

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
In an increasingly digital world, reading a physical book is becoming somewhat old-fashioned. Kindles and other portable digital reading tools offer the ability to carry hundreds of books around without your tote bag straps snapping – a desirable prospect for avid readers like me who find themselves devouring multiple books a week. With the click of a button, you can have a new book at your fingertips – no waiting for a delivery or travelling to

Review: EU Footlights' Talk It Out

Edinburgh University Footlights, Talk It Out
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Last Friday (March 20th 2026) I exploited my privileges as a reviewer for this publication to take my friend to a much needed therapy session - a self-help group gathering at Pleasance Theatre. While this might not sound like a traditional ‘girls night out’ activity, The Edinburgh University Footlights’ newest production made therapy seem like an outrageously good time. In addition to mental health, Talk It Out

Review: EUTC's The Importance of Being Earnest

Edinburgh University Theatre Company, The Importance of Being Earnest
Rating: ★ ★ ★.5
After encountering Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest one is met with the realisation that more cannot be asked from a comedy: it has pace, it has drama, it has eccentric characters engaging in clever wordplay, it has twists and turns that satisfyingly culminate in a truly absurd conclusion. Yet with so much comedic brilliance embedded into the text, Wilde’s play is incredibly de

Conservative Chic: Is being right-wing trendy right now, and is it the Internet’s fault?

Illustrations by Grace McKenna
We’ve all heard the “it’s a trend” trope well when it's applied to “blue-haired liberals” and Instagram “social justice warriors”. But what of the new conservative youngsters emerging out of society’s fringe and into the mainstream of social media? The news tells us that a rising share of the youth vote is trending towards conservative candidates , such as Donald Trump in the U.S. and Pierre Poilievre in Canada. A recent Gallup poll reveals th